Find out how popular the last name Louden is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Louden.

Louden, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Louden surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Louden in America

Louden is the 8536th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Louden surname appeared 3,855 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Louden.

We can also compare 2010 data for Louden to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Louden

The surname Louden is of Scottish origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the lands of Loudoun in Ayrshire, Scotland. The name is thought to come from the Gaelic words 'luth' meaning 'burnt' and 'dun' meaning 'hill' or 'fort', referring to a burnt or scorched hill.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the 'Ragman Rolls' of 1296, which list the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. One entry reads 'Constantyn de Louedone'. Other early spellings include Lowedane, Lowdane, and Lowden.

The Loudens were a prominent family in Ayrshire and held the lands of Loudoun for several centuries. In 1662, Sir John Louden was created Earl of Loudoun by King Charles II. His descendant, John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun (1705-1782), was a British army officer who served in the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War.

Another notable bearer of the name was Thomas Louden (1720-1786), a Scottish-born merchant and landowner who settled in Virginia in the mid-18th century. His grandson, Samuel Louden (1786-1866), was a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a United States Representative from Virginia.

In the 17th century, the name also spread to Ireland, where it is sometimes spelled Lowden or Lowtin. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Robert Louden, who was born in County Down, Ireland, around 1620.

Other notable individuals with the surname include:

1. James Louden (1786-1861), a Scottish-American educator and author, born in Ayrshire.
2. William Louden (1801-1879), a Scottish-American landscape architect and horticulturist, author of works on gardening and rural architecture.
3. Mary Louden (1827-1904), an American educator and activist, founder of the Louden Institute in Tennessee.
4. John Louden (1876-1957), a Scottish-born American engineer and inventor, known for his contributions to the design of cranes and hoisting equipment.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Louden

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Louden.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Louden was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Louden has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Louden was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Louden, please contact us.

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